“One aspect of the electronic, postmodern world is that there has been a reinforcement of the stereotypes by which the Orient is viewed. Television, the films, and all the media’s resources have forced information into more and more standardized molds. So far as the Orient is concerned, standardization and cultural stereotyping have intensified the hold of the nineteenth-century academic and imaginative demonology of “the mysterious Orient” (Said, Orientalism, 26).
Keeping Said’s words in mind, watch the first 25 minutes or so of the 1992 animated version of Disney’s Aladdin (NOT the 2019 live action version), then answer AT LEAST THREE of the following questions*:
1.Compare/contrast the first & second versions of the opening song posted in the Orientalist Media folder in BB Course Docs. Why the change? What cultural sterotypes regarding ‘the Orient’ are introduced here?
2.Describe 1) the city of Agrabah (sound familiar?)& its inhabitants 2) the Sultan’s Palace (look familiar?) & its inhabitants. Compare/contrast the two. How does each exemplify “standardization and cultural stereotyping?”
3. Paired characters that act as “foils”* are a frequent device in literature and film. Focusing on physical appearance, actions, and voices, discuss how Aladdin and Jafar function as foils in Aladdin (think binaries). * a foil is a character who contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist, highlighting the opposing qualities of each.
4.In the Disney version of this very old story, how does Aladdin exemplify “the American Dream?” (social mobility, rags to riches, $$ success, etc.)
5.In what ways can Aladdin be described as “an Orientalist fantasy,” or in Said’s terms, “a Western idea of the Orient?”
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